India, Nov. 16 -- Shopkeepers at Lajpat Rai Market, which reopened on Saturday after remaining shut since the blast near the Red Fort earlier this week, said it may take several days for business and footfall to return to normal.

Most shops had their shutters down after the explosion near the Red Fort on Monday, which killed 13 people and triggered heavy security restrictions in the area. Rakesh Kumar, who runs an electronics shop in the market, said he had reached the spot barely minutes before the incident.

"I came here only two years ago, and that evening I was standing outside when three blasts happened. The first one sounded like a normal CNG cylinder burst, the kind we hear sometimes. But the second was so loud that it felt like t...